It was the first official year of the new millennium. A new US President assumed office. And then there's the unavoidable image of HAL 9000 from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey, the red eye glowing and speaking in that creepy monotonic voice: "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm afraid I can't do that."

But for all 2001's cultural quirks and musings, it is impossible not to recall what was -- for those of us who weren't witness to World War II or John F. Kennedy's assassination -- the most horrifying moment in the country's collective conscience: 9-11. Such a moment holds a unique place in every individual's heart and mind.

And then there were the concerts that followed in the wake. America: A Tribute to Heroes and The Concert for New York City saw a varied stable of artists, including Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Jay-Z, David Bowie and Destiny's Child, come together to lend some unity and celebration of life in a time of chaos and fear. It was a testament to just how important music is to the contentment of life, not just for the United States, but the entire world.

Enjoy this week's photo gallery!

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Guitar World Magazine Covers Throughout the Years: 2001

George Harrison opens the year with a look back on his Beatles years. This was one of a dual-cover spread, with the Beatles on one cover and Papa Roach on another. To be fair, Papa Roach were everywhere at the time.

2000's Conspiracy of One was slated to be The Offspring's first digital album release, but when their label threatened to sue, the band settled for a physical release. By 2001, however, The Offspring were in full support of peer-to-peer file sharing, claiming the activity did not hurt sales.

Four decades of hard rock is put on retrospective in the March issue. The history of punk, grunge, classic rock, hair and heavy metal are retraced, along with classic albums like Paranoid, Back in Black and Ride the Lightning.

Creed's Mark Tremonti didn't let the naysayers and critics get under his skin; he took his band's success in stride. "People accuse us of being middle of the road, but that's exactly what we are. We're average kind of guys that play in a band that's written a lot of songs that people like."

Aerosmith kept it in the family with their self-produced 2001 album, Just Push Play. Guitarist Brad Whitford explained, "Historically, when you have a producer you immediately create this insulated process, this wall. So the only way to remove that wall is to produce the album yourself."

It had been five years since Aenima and Tool fans were ravenous for a new album. They got Lateralus, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Said guitarist Adam Jones, "What we do is magical. And I wouldn't trade it for anything."

Iowa was Slipknot's darker, heavier Grammy-nominated follow-up to 1999's Slipknot. Just before its release, the masked men of hardcore sat down with Guitar World and discussed the album and all its blastbeat, grindcore awesomeness.

Nu-metal was still the hot ticket in 2001, and Staind's Break the Cycle burned up the charts with huge sales. Guitarist Mike Mushok talked about the band's breakthrough success and stature as nu-metal elite.

It had been 10 years since the release of Nevermind. Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic talked about making the quintessential Nineties album and working with Kurt Cobain. "He was artistic, and he had this aesthetic that was pretty wild, particularly in his artwork."